Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Government, with the transport operators, will protect passengers and staff. The Deputy is right that SIPTU has done very good work in highlighting the concern. I had a meeting with SIPTU officials and some of the drivers who have experienced what is more than antisocial behaviour. It can be terrifying when people are subject to assault or intimidation. No one in the Government wants this to continue. The question is what is the most effective policing deterrent. While some may feel the establishment of a separate transport police force may improve the situation, others argue that it would not and we are better working with An Garda Síochána through the national control centre for Irish Rail and the hubs that Iarnród Éireann has set up. In the past eight years, Iarnród Éireann has increased its spending on security by approximately 70%. The person who committed the assault is subject to arrest and the courts duly taking action. I believe this is best managed or handled through An Garda Síochána rather than trying to pretend a separate police force would do. I fail to see what a separate police force might do to address the particular example given by the Deputy. What we need are layers of security, including the 14 hubs I mentioned in Iarnród Éireann's case and including the use of CCTV and An Garda Síochána. A separate force would not be a miracle cure.

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